How to Write a Précis? Everything to Know

Are you struggling to create a perfect précis for your college? Do not worry! This blog will discuss the format and provide necessary guidelines to write a flawless précis. But, before you know everything about crafting a proper précis, you need to know what a précis is.

A précis is a summary of an entire text. It comprises of a minimal word count and has to be on the point. While writing a précis, the writer should keep in mind the tone and mood of the text on which the précis will be written. There are specific rules of writing a précis. The essential elements of writing a précis have been pointed below.

• Concise and to-the-point:- The first thing that you need to remember while writing a précis is that you should not stretch the length of the content. A good précis should not be long and complicated. The word count of the précis should be managed systematically. You need to know how you can incorporate all the vital points in the précis without making it unnecessarily lengthy. Additionally, you should maintain parity in your précis. Do not make one point too long and the other one too short.
• No personal opinion: - You need to remember that while writing a précis, there is no scope for personal opinion. Thus, it is imperative to write the whole précis in a general format. The goal of your précis is to guide people about the writing in a nutshell. Thus, the voice and tone of the précis should reflect the author’s tone and not yours.
• Chain of facts:- Make sure that the précis does not comprise of unnecessary sentences. You have to find out if the précis is informative enough and ensure that it does not have irrelevant data. You need to put a chain of factual information relevant to the text. Each sentence of your précis should be unique, specifically aiming at defining the text.
• No copy paste from the main text:- You should always remember that a précis doesn’t mean copy pasting from the text. You have to get the idea about the text and write the same in your language. Paraphrasing can be done, but sentences should not be copied.

The basic format of writing a précis

There are rigid guidelines when it comes to writing a précis. Read more to get a clear idea.

• Forming the introduction:- Like any other article, essays or assignment, a précis also consists of an introduction. It is the first part of the writing, make clear what are you going to talk about. Soon after introducing the topic, you should give a brief idea about the text and the author. Do not drag your introduction or make it too lengthy. Keep it short and to-the-point. You should keep in mind that the tone of the introduction should be according to the tone of the text. A précis is all about giving a brief idea of the long text. Thus, it is vital to maintain the word count of the introduction.
• Creating the précis body:- The body of the précis should not be too long. But, you should also remember the fact that the body of the précis is where the main summary of the text should be written. While writing the body of the text, you need to be specific and to the point. Do not mention every point in detail, but make sure to talk about each and every aspect of the same. Do not forget to elaborate the key points in the précis. Again, do not drag it too long.
• Drafting the conclusion:- It is very important to draft the conclusion flawlessly. Your conclusion should have the message that the original text aims to convey to the readers. Make sure that the whole writing has a certain consistency and it is logical in every aspect.

As you know the basic format of a précis, let us know how the outline of such a write up is created.

Source: How to Write a Precis

Being an Assignment Writer, Jijo is a professional blogger who love to throw some light on Academic Writing Service industry.